Department of Agriculture

A very warm Mahalo to the estimated 400 people who participated in the first-ever Made with Aloha to Honor our Veterans event this past Saturday.  It was standing-room only at the Plant Quarantine Branch as individuals, families and community groups spend hours sewing lei for veterans interred at the National Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl and the State Veterans’ Cemetery in Kaneohe.  At the end of the day, close to 4,500 lei were sent up to the cemeteries and were placed on the graves on Sunday by local Boy and Girl Scouts.  

Together, we strung thousands of plumeria, tuberose, orchids, crown flower, pakalana, stephanotis, ti leaf and other lei flowers. 

HDOA highlighted Hawaii’s lei flowers to reminds residents to buy local flower lei whenever possible.  This not only helps support our local growers, but also cuts down on the imported flowers which bring in hitchhiking pests and plant diseases that threaten Hawaii’s agriculture and unique environment. A lei also carries a special Aloha when made with locally grown blossoms.

Mahalo to the local media, especially Jai Cunningham of KHON Wake Up 2Day who helped spread the word on Friday morning and to Brandi Higa of KITV Morning News who did live broadcasts on Saturday morning.

Here are some photos from the event